Autumn Equinox Day in Japan. ► ► ► Autumn Equinox Day Japan Autumn Equinox Day
As in the old days, today pumpkin is used as a material for depicting relatives, making toys for children and gifts for neighbors. The holiday has another name - Tyuniti, which means "middle day". This name is due to the fact that the day of the autumnal equinox falls in the middle of the week called higan.
In the days of Higan blooms Higan-bana (spider lily) - "the flower of the autumn equinox".
Moreone flower name is "manjusage", which means "heavenly flower"
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In Buddhist sutras, there was a mention that bright scarlet flowers fall from the sky, foreshadowing happy events.
The Japanese flower Higanbana is a sad symbol of autumn. Higanbana has a special place in Eastern culture. As sakura symbolizes the coming of spring in the Land of the Rising Sun, so higanbana symbolizes the coming of autumn. Higanbana is one of the names of the flower, which is known in Europe as lycoris and red spider lily. In Japan, flowering coincides with the celebration of the Higan autumn equinox festival, which is why the name of the flower sounds like “higan-bana” - “autumn equinox flower”. In Japan, Higan is a Buddhist holiday. Autumn Higan copes for seven days, and during these days it is supposed to "honor the memory of those who have gone to another world."
Thus, in the minds of the Japanese, the image of the Higanbana flower began to be identified with a certain Buddhist afterlife or the world of the dead. The higanbana flower has many other names: ghost flower, demon lily, flower of the world of the dead, flower of the underworld, fox grass, flower of the western paradise of Buddha, heavenly flower, flower of the heavenly edge ... All kinds of names this scarlet lily has not been awarded ... So beautiful, but melting in danger and sadness, this flower is considered a symbol of death and sorrow, and is shrouded in many legends. It is said that the higanbana likes to grow on battlefields where the blood of warriors has been shed...
In one of the legends, this flower is called majusage or heavenly flower. This story tells of two nature spirits who patronized different parts of the same plant. Manju took care of the flowers, while Shage was the keeper of the leaves. One day they decided to meet and for the sake of this meeting they neglected their duties. They fell in love with each other at first sight. But because they acted contrary to their destiny, the Gods cursed them - dividing the flowers and leaves: when the flowers bloom, the leaves fall; and by the time the leaves grow, the flowers wither. The stems of this flower emerge from the ground in autumn and bloom bright red flowers. Then the flowers fade and leaves appear, which remain until the beginning of summer. So flowers and leaves can never be seen together. This flower is called manjushage, in memory of two lovers who will never see each other again. It is said that when they met in the afterlife, they vowed to find each other after reincarnation, but neither of them kept their promise. According to legend, these flowers grow in the underworld along the paths that the souls of people go to rebirth ...
Tokyo Autumn Equinox Festival, Hatsudai Street, Shibuya District
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The autumnal equinox festival (Shu-bun-no Hi) has a dual origin in Japan. On the one hand, this day marked the change of seasons, and was important for a society with a traditional agricultural bias. On September 23, a significant astronomical phenomenon begins: day and night become equal in duration, after which autumn comes into its own. Shu-bun-no Hi has been celebrated in Japan since 1878, and in 1948 the celebration of the Autumn Equinox Day was enshrined in law. Although the National Observatory determines the exact date on February 1 of this year, astronomers can now definitely say that starting from 2012, the Autumnal Equinox will fall on September 23, and in leap years on September 22, and this will last until 2044.
However, the deeper meaning of this day is associated in Japan with the Buddhist rite Higan commemoration of ancestors. It is this custom that is reflected in the Law on National Holidays: "Respect the ancestors, honor the memory of those who have gone to another world." After all, the very name of the holiday can be translated as "the other shore", i.e. the world where the souls of the departed now reside. Officially, the holiday falls on one day associated with an astronomical phenomenon, but Buddhist rites last seven days: three days before, three days after, and one - the actual day of the autumn equinox.
Here again, the magical number seven for the Japanese, symbolizing happiness, appears: in addition to the seven-day celebration, seven autumn plants “aki-no nanakusa” are present in ritual actions: - agi (clover), obana (silver grass, miscanthus), kudzu (lobed pueraria), nadesiko (lush carnation), ominaeshi (Japanese valerian), fujibakama (perforated vine), kikyo (Chinese bell). They are not eaten, but they receive aesthetic pleasure from contemplation. These autumn flowers inspire the impressionable Japanese to create works of art, at the same time they put on special "autumn" kimonos, in the design of which there are motifs of autumn grasses.
Higan begins with a thorough cleaning of the house and home altar and the preparation of ritual foods. The food is prepared exclusively vegetarian, in accordance with Buddhist customs. The menu consists of simple peasant food: beans, mushrooms, vegetables, vegetable broths, ohagi-mochi rice balls.
Since the holiday is primarily associated with the worship of the memory of ancestors, on the days of the autumn Higan, the Japanese go to cemeteries, clean graves, and also order prayers in Buddhist temples.
The dual meaning of the holiday is to worship the past (caring for graves, home altars), turning to the present (enjoy the blessed days of the coming golden autumn).
長月 (nagatsuki) The 9th lunar month in Japan is called - month of chrysanthemums.
菊 (kiku) is the Japanese character for chrysanthemum. And they also have the sun. Therefore, we can say that in Japan there are two suns - one in the sky, the other on the ground).
On September 23 or 24, the Earth occupies a strictly vertical position relative to the Sun, which in turn crosses the Celestial Equator and passes from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern. At the same time, astronomical Autumn (in the north) and astronomical Spring (in the south) come in these parts of the world. On this day, the duration of day and night on the whole Earth is the same and equal to 12 hours.
秋分の日 (shubun no chi) - Autumn equinox is a public holiday in Japan which has been celebrated since 1878.
The chrysanthemum is the official symbol of Japan.
One Japanese legend tells how the sky god Izanagi decided to take a dip in a river on Earth. His jewels, falling to the ground, turned into flowers: one bracelet into an iris, another into a lotus flower, and a necklace into a golden chrysanthemum.
Chrysanthemum in Japan is not just loved - but idolized.
On the 9th of the 9th lunar month, Japan celebrates the ancient Chrysanthemum Festival. People rode "chrysanthemum boats", drank "chrysanthemum wine", admired chrysanthemums blooming in gardens, composed songs and poems in their honor. “Chrysanthemum verses” were written on long paper strips with ink with special care and attached to trees so that the wind would spread the glory of the beauty of chrysanthemums around the world ... "
Chrysanthemum in Japan is a symbol of the sun and a favorite flower of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, from whom Japanese emperors descended.
Chrysanthemum yellow or orange color with 16 petals - the imperious symbol of the imperial house in Japan since the 12th century.
It was then that she was engraved on the blade of the emperor's precious saber, a little later on the imperial seal and clothes. In 1888, the "Order of the Chrysanthemum" was created, with which only three people were awarded during the entire period of its existence. In 1910, the chrysanthemum was declared the national flower of Japan.
Japan does not have an official coat of arms, but the cover of a Japanese passport is decorated with a chrysanthemum.
Chrysanthemums are also depicted on Japanese coins. 
There is a specially bred vegetable chrysanthemum- Chrysanthemum coronarium L. Her leaves look like carrots - carved, openwork, light green. And the flowers are like chamomile - with white or yellow petals. 
Chrysanthemum flowers and leaves are wonderful food.
They have been used as food for health promotion for several centuries and not only in Japan. It is known that chrysanthemum nourishes not only the body, but also the soul. These flowers resist the breath of autumn and the gray hairs of winter, they help a person survive the harsh time, stock up and retain vitality.
Young leaves and flowers of the annual vegetable chrysanthemum are used for food, which contain many useful substances. Young leaves are especially useful in early spring or late autumn. They eat flowers and leaves of chrysanthemums little by little: this is quite enough to improve health.
The edible leaves of the vegetable chrysanthemum are called shungiku in Japan. They have an interesting pleasant smell and a piquant taste that adorns any dish (they are boiled for several minutes, squeezed, finely chopped and served with seasoning). From fresh leaves of vegetable chrysanthemum pre-boiled in salted water, you can cook delicious salad, seasoning for meat or fish, for mashed potatoes and sandwiches. They add a spicy flavor to scrambled eggs and egg dishes. They can be dried, ground and used in dried form as a healthy and pleasant seasoning for food.
Petals - have a wonderful smell and are mixed with tea, liquors and wines are infused on them. It has long been the custom of the Japanese to drink an infusion of flowers, stems and leaves of chrysanthemums with rice water.
The soul rests and heals, only admiring the flowers. Chrysanthemums are a symbol of joy and laughter. It is believed that chrysanthemums bring happiness, success, good luck, have the ability to ward off illness and misfortune. According to ancient tradition, even today a chrysanthemum petal is placed at the bottom of a bowl of sake to live a long and healthy life.
The Japanese believe that the dew collected from the chrysanthemum prolongs life. With a cloth soaked in the dew of chrysanthemums, Japanese beauties wiped their faces to preserve their youth and beauty.
Chrysanthemum for the Japanese is not only a magical flower of longevity and a messenger of autumn. In autumn it is nice to look out the window, see crimson maples and eat a cup of soup in which maple leaves of carrots float (*cutting carrots in the form of maple leaves, the cook reminds of autumn).
In the Japanese city of Nihonmatsu, an exhibition of ningyo dolls made from live chrysanthemums is held in autumn. 
Several people traditionally work on the creation of one doll.
The image of the future doll is created by the artist-designer - Dogu-cho. The basis of the puppet body ( wooden frame), the head, hands and feet of the doll are made by the puppeteer - Ningyo-shi. Further, the body of the doll is formed with bamboo dice and rice grass "He Who Covers the Body with Chrysanthemums" or Kiku-shi.
The flowers themselves are not cut for dolls, but dug up with roots and carefully wrap the roots in wet moss. Inside, the doll is filled with roots and stems of plants, and on top it turns out to be dressed in hundreds of beautiful flowers.
Chrysanthemums. Flowers
Japan, "Bit of Life!", - Miraslava Krylova.
"Both heat and cold - until the days of Higan." So they say in Japan during both the autumn and spring equinoxes.
In the calendar, this day is designated as the Day of the Autumnal Equinox (Shu-bun-no Hi), but Japan celebrates not so much a unique astronomical phenomenon as it performs the rites of the Buddhist holiday Higan, which go back to the depths of history. According to the Law “On National Holidays”, on the day of the autumn equinox, which is a public holiday, the corresponding meaning is also embedded: “Respect the ancestors, honor the memory of those who have gone to another world.” 
Legislatively, the day for the celebration was established in 1948, and it falls, as Japanese sources say, "about September 23." The exact date of the autumn equinox for the next year is determined by the National Observatory on February 1 of the current year, making the appropriate celestial measurements and calculations. Astronomers have already calculated that from 2012 to 2044 the Autumnal Equinox falls: in leap years - on September 22, and in ordinary years - on September 23.
But back to the Higan holiday, the customs of which fill the life of the Japanese in these autumn days. The Buddhist concept of "higan" can be translated as "that shore", that is, the world where our ancestors went and where their souls settled. Autumn Higan Days is a week that includes three days before and after the autumnal equinox and the autumnal equinox itself.
Before the start of Higan, the Japanese carry out a thorough cleaning of the house, especially the home altar with photographs and accessories of departed ancestors, refresh flowers, and display ritual foods and offerings. In the days of Higan, Japanese families go to bow to the graves of their ancestors, order prayers and provide the necessary ritual honors. 
Ritual dishes are prepared exclusively vegetarian - a reminder of the Buddhist prohibition to kill a living being and eat the meat of the slain. The menu consists of beans, vegetables, mushrooms, broths are also cooked on plant-based. On the table, there are also inari-sushi, which these days are stuffed with carrots, mushrooms and beans. From sweets - traditional ohagi-mochi or just ohagi. In the old days, they were served as a meager afternoon snack in peasant families, but in our time they have become a favorite dessert of the Japanese.
Much of the Buddhist concept of Higan has acquired a special meaning in Japan, but the tradition of remembering ancestors has remained sacred for the Japanese for many centuries.
By September 23, the peak of the summer sweltering heat and the heat of the day passes (remember that “the heat is until the days of Higan”), and the fertile sunny season of the “Indian summer” begins. In Japan, there is a saying: "Autumn Higan is similar to spring Higan."
It looks like a spring Higan" - they say in Japan on the Day of the spring equinox. Long-term observations of nature suggest that from this day on, spring finally irreversibly takes the legal reins of government: the day becomes longer, the night is shorter, the cold recedes, and the time for sunny spring gradually comes. Everything in nature comes to life in complete contrast to the days of the autumn Higan, which fall on the Day of the autumnal equinox. Such mathematical accuracy and at the same time harmony in nature became the reason for the figurative expression "autumn Khigan is similar to spring Khigan."
| Real spring comes to Japan with cherry blossoms |
The Higan festival (彼岸 in Japanese), whose customs fill the life of the Japanese in these spring days, has an immeasurably longer history. The Buddhist concept of "khigan" can be translated as "that shore" or "that world where our ancestors went and where their souls settled." Spring Higan days start on March 17, include the Spring Equinox Day and 3 days after the Spring Equinox Day. Before the start of Higan, the Japanese carefully clean the house, especially the home altar with photographs and accessories of departed ancestors, freshen the flowers and put ritual foods on the altar.
According to Buddhist beliefs, the afterlife and earthly worlds are separated by the Sanzu River (Jap. 三途の川 Sanzu no Kawa). The virtuous are allowed to cross the bridge, while the sinners try to cross the current. The river is filled with illusions, suffering, sadness, and only the one who conquers all the temptations that meet him on life path, and will get to the other side, will gain enlightenment. The rites performed in Higan were designed to help souls move from the world of "confusion and confusion" that is in the west to the world of "enlightenment" that is in the east. Usually, those praying for rebirth in paradise meditated, meeting the dawn at the eastern gates of the temples.
Higan's week, apparently, was timed to coincide with the equinoxes, because the day on these days is equal to the night, and the sun rises exactly in the east. In the days of Higan, Japanese families go to bow to the graves of their ancestors. Having previously removed the family tomb, washed the stone slab and placed fresh flowers, the Japanese order prayers and perform other ritual honors. tradition to spend religious rite on the days of the equinox originates from the reign of Prince Shotoku (593 - 621). During the 7 days of Higan, all families, including the imperial, visited temples and family cemeteries, performed rites of remembrance. In Japan, there is a proverb "Heat and cold end in Higan", which means the change of seasons, the Japanese hope that Cold winter and hot summers will recede while visiting the graves.
Having put the graves in order, brought fresh flowers and special food to the dead, performed a prayer, lit incense, they arranged something similar to a picnic in the cemetery. The ritual of preparing food for the dead gave rise to the custom of treating friends and neighbors with special food. Ritual dishes are prepared exclusively vegetarian - a reminder of the Buddhist prohibition to kill a living being and eat the meat of the slain. The main diet consists of
- o-hagi (jap. おはぎ) - soft rice balls covered with sweetish bean paste;
- bot-mochi (Jap. 牡丹餅 "peony mochi") - rice cakes wrapped in red bean dough, similar in color to a peony;
- homokuzuki - rice with vegetables and seasonings, as well as vegetables, mushrooms, root vegetables, vegetable-based broths.
The traditional sweets of Higan in spring are “bota-mochi”. Small rice balls (approx. egg), covered with red bean paste boiled with sugar, are especially sold these days. Many active Buddhist temples have kept special recipes for making bot-mochi for centuries, and only on the days of spring Higan release a small batch for sale to everyone. Knowing the traditions well, the Japanese "hunt" and stand in line for the exquisite taste and unusual freshness of their favorite delicacy.
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| This is how Higan's vegan meal could be |
Much of the Buddhist concept of Higan has acquired a special meaning in Japan, but the tradition of remembering ancestors has remained sacred for the Japanese for many centuries.
It is impossible not to say that at the end of the days of spring Higan, the season of luxurious and indescribably beautiful flowering sakura. Another week - and the white-pink wave of cherry blossoms will be unstoppable. And the Japanese, young and old, and foreigners living in Japan, and tourists coming from all over the world to look at an unforgettable picture, will noisily celebrate spring.
Like cherry blossoms through the mist
On the slopes in early spring
White in the distance -
So you flashed
But my heart is full of you!
